Ritter, Dene, Voss

Recording from the Akademietheater, 1987. A co-production with the Salzburg Festival.

Three Viennese “cottage creatures,” siblings and heirs to a major industrialist: Ludwig (Gert Voss) has devoted himself to philosophy and is searching for thoughts never before conceived—in England, in Norway, and most recently at the famous Steinhof Sanatorium in Vienna. His two sisters are majority shareholders of the Josefstädter Theater in Vienna and are actresses themselves: The younger one (Ilse Ritter) has landed major roles, while the older sister’s (Kirsten Dene) talent is limited to small and minor parts. This makes her feel all the more responsible for the family—and especially for her brother—and she has brought Ludwig home from the psychiatric institution (against his wishes). Before, during, and after lunch in the dining room of the opulent villa in Döbling, the everyday catastrophes of a wealthy, eccentric family now unfold—and presumably not for the first time. The siblings, Ludwig believes, have “never gotten along” and yet remain chained to one another: out of fear of loneliness, dependence, and incestuous desire. But in Thomas Bernhard’s work, the monstrosities of human relationships no longer lead to tragedy, but straight into the grotesque—unless, that is, the dark family secrets are swept under the rug altogether.